For many years, information and ideas have been primarily distributed using print media such as books and periodicals. The primary indicator of how much readers or consumers like the content has been retail sales—it is assumed a high selling book is liked, and that a low selling book is not liked.
With the widespread use of the Internet and other communications technologies, however, it has become possible to distribute large, coherent units of media, such as books and periodicals, using electronic technologies. Consumer feedback can also occur in different ways, such as through blogs, email, and other forms of electronic and online communications.
Although the nature and capabilities of content distribution and electronic communication are changing, methods of soliciting and obtaining consumer feedback regarding electronic works have changed very little, and continue to rely in large upon sales-related data.